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Charles W. Howe: Rewards of higher education are greater than salary

Posted:
03/28/2013 01:00:00 AM MDT

Many recent articles and letters have emphasized the bleak short-term salary and employment outlook faced by many higher-ed graduates. Even University of Colorado President Bruce Benson (Daily Camera, March 24) interprets "return on investment" largely in monetary terms, nonetheless pointing to liberal education as a springboard to mid-career success in an ever changing economy.

The classical arguments for liberal education are reflected in the many students who have first come to appreciate the fine arts, music, the history of science and, indeed science itself. How many eyes have been opened to the wonders of the macro and micro universes. These values are recognized by the science and engineering disciplines themselves in programs like the CU School of Engineering's Herbst Program of Humanities that allow the students "access to the great ongoing conversations of human existence."

While jobs and salaries are important, they are not the only rewards of higher education.

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